Everyday Recycling

Enjoy Waste Free (or Waste Reduced) Everyday Living

Recycling will help save money and reduce your impact on our beautiful environment if you apply these tips for a waste-free lifestyle:

• Remember to rinse clean all plastic, glass and metal containers to ensure they are processed for recycling. Leftovers and oily residues cause problems for recyclers.
• Take reusable bags with you when shopping for groceries and gifts.
• When going to the beach, or out for a picnic, bring all your recyclables home with you to be sorted & recycled properly rather than throwing them in the general waste bins, the contents of which go straight to landfill.
• Rather than buying single-use, disposable crockery and cutlery, opt for compostable, or reusable alternatives.
• If everything doesn't fit in your recycling bin when collections resume, store it until the next collection, and place in your recycling bin, not the rubbish bin.
• Wherever possible, choose products without any packaging, or make sure all packaging is recyclable. Avoid products with excessive, non-recyclable packaging.
• Buy only the food you need, and make sure to compost any scraps & use quality leftovers for a meal next day.

Click below to view our latest YouTube video, it provides a simple overview of the waste problems we are facing in New Zealand and shows you how you can do something to help solve these problems. Please share with others to help spread the message (click on the < symbol in the top right of the frame).

Did You Know:
• 2.5 million tonnes of waste is buried in NZ landfills each year, yet around three quarters of this could have been reused, recycled, or composted.
• This equates to 8 kilograms of landfill waste per person each week that could have been diverted from landfill.
• On average, Kiwis throw away 30% more rubbish over the summer holiday period than usual.
• The waste we generate just about doubles the week after Christmas.
• An extra 50,000 Tonnes of waste is likely to be produced during the Christmas week.
• A 20-foot container is able to hold on average 3.5 tonnes of waste (50,000/3.5 = 14,285.7 containers).
• With each container standing 2.4m tall, stacked on top of one another, this would be equivalent to 105 times taller than the Sky Tower.
• This means the amount of extra waste generated the week after Christmas in NZ is equivalent to more than 14,000 20-foot containers stacked on top of each other, 105 times taller than the Sky Tower!!

You are responsible for choosing what, and how much, you buy, and for making sure your waste can be diverted from landfill.

Recycling is Common Sense
Simply by being a part of the modern consumption economy, it is near impossible to avoid sending at least some waste to landfill. However, there are plenty of success stories of kiwis making a real difference by reducing their total waste to landfill just by being mindful of their purchases and recycling or composting everything that they can. Some of these success stories can be found on our Great Kiwi Recycling page.

The best way for you to make a difference is to think about what you are buying. Questions to ask before making a purchase might be:
- Is the packaging 100% recyclable?
- How far did this product have to travel to make it onto the shelf?
- Has this product been sustainably and ethically produced?

You can also question yourself when you put something into the rubbish bin:
- Can it be used again or could it be useful for someone else?
- Can it be recycled or composted?

Once something is in the landfill that is the end of its use and life. Kiwis on average send 2.5 million tonnes of rubbish to landfill each year. That is over a tonne of waste per household per year!!

So, every little bit we do can make a difference. Be a responsible Kiwi - recycle anything and everything you can.

Auckland Council Rubbish and Recycling Guide 2013This is a useful resource particularly for Aucklanders, on what can and can't be recycled in Auckland. There are also some useful tips for all Kiwis on how to deal with general household waste and recycling.

Recycling Videos

This 2.5 minute video provides a great overview of why more recycling is needed in NZ and how we should go about it. It highlights the link between consumption and waste problems, and the impact this has on sustainable living and our environment.